Jobs for 16 year olds

[Grandprixmad]

My son is about to turn 16 & wants to get a part time job once his GCSEs have finished. We live in a small town with a small tesco, co-op a few cafes & independent shops etc. He likes the idea of working at the Tesco store due to the potential for flexible shifts etc when he starts his A levels but I just wondered what jobs do most 16 year olds do?

My 17 yo has a job in a cafe lots of his friends work at tescos

DS works in hospitality, at a local hotel. Depending on shifts he might be clearing tables, washing up or housekeeping (supposedly he is an expert bed maker, not so much evidence of that at home!)

Since turning 18 he helps in the bar too

Most of his friends seem to work in hospitality too

Massively friends on area, my niece and lots of her friends work at one of the large theme parks as it's near where they live.

My DD got a job in fast food chain and they treat her pretty well she does 4 shifts a week starting at 2/3 which for with college timetable. She has friends working at coffee shops and supermarkets

My ds, so far has worked Saturdays in a bike shop, mending punctures, fitting chains & tyres etc.
And he's helped out at the local coarse fishery, with bait and making coffees etc.

My first job was a waitress at 15 then at 16 I got a job at an aquarium 🙂

At 16, mine all did a Lifeguard qualification - but of course it does depend on your swimming ability.
One also had a job in a local shop - in for an hour after school each day, cleaning, and covering for the shopkeeper, who I presumed did paperwork and stuff then.
Friends dc had done waitressing and glass collecting.
I don't think the big chains are that keen on U18s as they are more limited as to what shifts / hours they can work. OTOH, some smaller places prefer 16 yr olds as they can pay them less.
I havea f riend that runs a gardening business who always needs a youngster over the Summer, to help through the busy period (won't help for 6th form, but could be great for 3 months in the Summer).

Garden centres, farm parks, golf clubs (clubhouse) all the favourite source of jobs for teens where I live

DD works in a local takeaway, she answers the phone to take orders, processes online orders and deals with the customers who come in to order/collect food. She loves it and it has been a great way to learn how to deal with the public, her hours a flexible and she doesn't work late.

16 year old niece worked in a local cafe when she turned 16 and now does shifts at the local Chinese takeaway on a Friday/Saturday, on the counter and general tidying and sorting for them. She really enjoys it by the sound of it, which is great.

Her sibling works at the local garden centre and had just applied for McDonald's ashisfriends work there and apparently the pay is better.

Next door neighbours 16 year old works in a local independent cafe; we bumped into him thete at the weekend when he brought us our tea!

My son works for in cafe / bar. Does kitchen prep rather than front house as he likes cooking. He has also worked for a mobile pizza company. My daughter used to be an assistant at a place that does craft parties for kids. All found through word of mouth , local Facebook rather than indeed type sites. Also baby sitting, lawn mowing and cat sitting before they had official jobs

Ds last year aged 16 worked on a campsite and this year will be Lifeguarding

Did 16 next month will be hiring out wetsuits at the same place Ds is Lifeguarding.

Keep looking and good luck 🤞🏼

Our kids first couple of jobs were
Garden centre then pub
Theme park then pub
Maccies then Sainsbury's

can be tricky to find a job because lots of hospitality places want over 18s who can serve alcohol.

But persevere and he'll find something!
Lots of the 16/17 year olds I know do

• waitressing/ washer up/ barista
• chip shop
• skittling (putting skittles back up)
• drive thru staff

The one that works at Waitrose is the best paid! Supermarket jobs aren't necessarily easy to get.

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I'll run them by him in the morning & see what businesses he'd like to approach in town. I hadn't thought about garden centres, campsites or take aways- all great ideas. He's worried that every local 16 year old will be after the same jobs as soon as their exams are over so is keen to establish some contacts now 🙂

My DS used to advertise himself on Facebook as cheap labour!! He basically said he was willing to do lifting and shifting, clearing, weeding etc for £6 an hour. He sometimes teamed up with a mate too. They always got work and usually got paid more than they asked. Got very good feedback from customers which led to more jobs. Obviously it's not regular hours but he did very well out of it.